Do STAR Tests Tell Us Who Teaches Well?

by guest blogger, Dr. Andrew Millar, Clinical Psychologist, Santa Maria. See more archived published articles, PsychologyCenter Blog

As a newspaper columnist on psychology, I focus on questions that might be of interest to Central Coast readers. Some of my articles take significant research and consideration before they are ready for publication. Other articles don't seem as though they will work for the column. I plan to use this forum to work out ideas, get feedback for additional points of view and find out what issues might be of most interest to people locally. Please write: Dr. Andrew Millar at gmail.com

Today I'm working on an idea about the problems with applying the results of school-based standardized testing to make decisions about schools and the careers of educators.

These are achievement tests, assessing what students know. I know of no research that supports the use of these test results for political and administrative decisions.

The STAR Test Defined

After a few years of controversy and changes, the current version of this testing program in California is STAR, for Standardized Testing And Reporting. The news has reported how teachers throughout the country are motivated to teach about how to take tests well, which sacrifices time and energy they might otherwise use to teach academic subjects. Some have even cheated by giving students test answers and correcting answer sheets before the tests are submitted for scoring.

There are incentives for good outcomes, including bonus money. There are consequences for low-level outcomes, including probation status for schools and possible job termination for teachers and principals.

Psychologists are well-trained in developing, using and interpreting standardized testing. I believe that testing can provide useful information. I have no quarrel with a well-designed test.

Can A Test Measure A Teacher's Ability?

The problem is that the tests are not necessarily good indicators of teacher ability and school adequacy. They measure student knowledge, but student knowledge is influenced by more than just teacher and school performance. Some students know more about some subjects because of things they have learned at home.

The most prominent example are the results of tests of ability in language. I can do well in English tests, largely because I learned English from my family. I would fail any test of Spanish, French, Hmong or any other language.

What the standardized tests showed in past years is that some parts of the county have a higher proportion of native English speakers in the schools.

We don't need the expense of statewide testing to find that out.

What We Really Need To Do

We also don't need to sanction teachers for teaching at schools where the students don't have the extracurricular advantages that will give them an edge on tests.

I know that we can use tests to tell how individual students and groups of students compare on abilities. We can use the results to guide decisions about academic abilities and needs for improvement. We can decide where to place community resources so that students have the best chance for success.

It is up to the school system to prove that rewarding and punishing teachers and schools for students' test performance will benefit society. It would be best that they conduct the necessary experiments on small samples of students and teachers before they make the entire academic population the subjects of a state- and nation-wide experiment, because they might be wrong.

Their being wrong will cost us all time, money, opportunities and possibly the expertise of good educators who might stop teaching after being punished for something over which they have no real control.

Subdivisions, Narrow Streets and Race Tracks

by Reenee,
from Santa Maria, who holds forth on her blog:
hastalosgatosquierenzapatos

Has anyone else noticed how subdivisions in Santa Maria have changed over the years? Surely I am not the only one who has noticed that the streets are getting narrower?

According to my mother who also happens to be my chief historian, the first subdivision built in Santa Maria is the area north of West Alvin Street and west of North Broadway, in the early 50's. There is always the possibility that she might be incorrect, but way back when I was a tiny little blogger, I learned to never question her memory.

However, we do have home movies to prove that just past the 500 block of West McElhenny Street there were acres and acres of agricultural fields, as far as the eye could see. So she might be right.

Also on one of these antique 8mm rolls of film, George Hobbs can be seen waving to the camera as he delivers mail long before he went on to fame and fortune as Mayor of the town that had the "Mexican problem." (As provocative as that little nugget is that led to a lawsuit, it's a different rant for another day.)

Back To Narrow Streets

Some of these older subdivisions have streets almost as wide as the ones that border the block I live on. The two streets that intersect on my corner have four lanes each. The one street that runs east and west has no stop signs for seven long blocks, before it curves to the north turning into Railroad Street.

There are no sudden dips or pesky bumps anywhere to obstruct the many race car drivers that frequent the area. There are a few other streets this wide found in other older parts of town, but they have stop signs. You'll recognize these sections of town easily, it's where the houses don't look like they all came from the same mold.

Wide Streets, More Cars

Having wider streets is a very good thing since there always seems to be a thousand cars parked along every inch of curb no matter where you go. Also, the older areas have alleys down the middle of the block, these alleys are curiously all in the East/West direction. Once I find out the reason for this I’ll report it here.

Getting back to the subdivisions, they have blocks that have no alleys. Why is that by the way? Subdivisions that have been built most recently have the narrowest streets in town, lanes really. Also, some of the streets dead-end without rhyme or reason and you have to try to find your way around hoping you're going in the right direction to avoid driving around in circles.

Mice scurrying around in a maze comes to mind here. Considering the ever increasing cost of these homes, I can guess why the builders want narrow streets with no alleys. Yes, you got it, more houses! Consequently, these houses are so very close together that in some areas, people could share breakfast and the morning newspaper by merely leaning out of their windows.

New Neighborhoods, Small Streets

The biggest problem with these narrower streets is that they can barely accommodate two cars going in the opposite direction, so you imagine what happens when cars line every inch of the curbs. Yes, it turns into a stand off, both drivers squinting at each other to see who's going to go first.

You can almost hear the theme from "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" as each driver wonders who will blink first. Sometimes it's a game of chicken to see who can beat who and save ten seconds. It's pretty much the same game at stop signs.

The next time I renew my driver's license I'm going to have to read the manual thoroughly this time so I can find the section that says, "Two vehicles at a time can proceed after coming to a stop, instead of just the first vehicle." It's probably in the same section that states, "A driver can roll through a stop sign if the oncoming traffic is moving too slow for them, or if there is no traffic."

I’ll need to highlight it and keep it in my car to show the traffic officer that stops me the next time I roll through an intersection simply because I didn't see any cars, or him. I'm certain I’ll also find the section that says, "Any city street that has two lanes going in each direction for several blocks can be used as a racetrack at any hour of the day, rain or shine. We recommend Fesler Street for this activity." As I sit here typing, I can hear racing going on. (But, I digress.)

I know that the influx of cars in Santa Maria is due to many reasons, not least of which is that every single human being over the age of sixteen simply has to have a car. I know that when I was sixteen I had to have one. I didn't get one of course, but I still felt I had to have one.

Why So Many Cars?

One of the lesser acknowledged reasons, is that several houses around town have several families living in them. All of these families come with several cars and when their owners run out of room in their driveways and lawns, they park in the streets. They always seem to save the spots on the corners for either the large vans or huge pickups, so that the drivers of standard sized cars have to inch out into the middle of the street at the intersections to see if the coast is clear before proceeding.

Hint: If a car is bearing down on you at that point, the coast was not clear. My Aunt found this out...twice. Another favored spot for these huge vehicles is next to driveways. Due to the fact that my driveway empties into a four lane street (race track), it can take me up to five minutes or more to back my car out since there is always a huge pickup parked next to my driveway that blocks my view.

The upside to this is that it's good exercise. I back up my car a few feet, then I put it in "park" jump out, run into the street to see if anyone is coming, then jump back into my car and back out a little bit more. I repeat this process until I'm out of my driveway. This gets ugly in a rainstorm due to the umbrella action.

I once asked the neighbor that drives this huge pickup if he could park it in his driveway instead to prevent this obstruction, but he told me that he prefers to park in the street. He went on to tell me that backing out of the driveway was too time consuming for him. As I was enjoying this knee slapper, he told me that if I'm so concerned I should get a "taller car."

Had he not then bid me adieu and firmly closed the door, I’d have explained the "good neighbor policy" of our All-American City.

Good 'Ol Networking Requirements

(Note: this is part two of a two part contribution from Santa Maria blogger "Reenee" in an occasional series of items from North Santa Barbara County residents.)

by Reenee,
from Santa Maria, who holds forth on her blog:
hastalosgatosquierenzapatos

This brings me to the reputed "good ol' boy network". Now that was a good segue, if I do say so myself. Ah yes, what a deal! Getting appointed to a city council seat will lead to being appointed Mayor. Why campaign?

When our previously elected Mayor ran for and won a seat as a County Supervisor, he declined the invitation to step down as mayor, thereby ensuring that the next mayor would be appointed.

Conspiracy Theories In Santa Maria?

Now, if I were a rabid conspiracy buff I’d imagine all sorts of little coffee klatches going on behind the scenes. Heated little discussions and debates, surreptitious little meetings, busy little footsteps running back and forth ignoring the loud outcry several residents demanding to have the choice of electing a mayor.

The majority of the residents were busy trying to make a living blissfully unaware of the goings on, which is something that the movers and shakers count on by the way. Palace intrigue can be highly entertaining, as long as it's not directed at you.

The GOB Networks Are Everywhere

In any event, there are "good ol' boy networks" everywhere in this town. If someone doesn't play by the established "rules" or looks a certain way, or behaves a certain way or knows someone who knows someone else, it will never matter how good they are at their job. The ax will fall, heads will roll and people's names will be sullied.

Yes, politics! It starts in the playgrounds with finger pointing and whispering, and it never really goes away.

I will end my rants with these words attributed to the 19^th century English publisher, Ernest Benn: "Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies."

(email contributions are welcome; send to the address at the top of the next column.)

Where Did The Name "Mission County" Come From?

(Note: this is part one of a two part contribution from Santa Maria blogger "Reenee" in an occasional series of items from North Santa Barbara County residents.)

by Reenee,
from Santa Maria, who holds forth on her blog: hastalosgatosquierenzapatos

Because I get so very cranky about things that I see happening in this town, I decided to share on this blog. I have been described by some family and friends as a very liberal conservative. Others simply call me a wacko and dismiss my rants as they walk away from me with their hair standing on end.

My response to these accusations and compliments is a hearty thank you! You noticed! As my mother once told me, "If they are talking about you, you're important to them."

Now I’d like to opine on a couple of subjects. First, I want to expound on the county split.

The County Split: Who Benefits?

No, let me back up a bit further. Whose idea was it to come up with the name "Mission County?" Was there a vote? When? Where? Did I not get the memo? The name of the proposed new county is almost as dumb as the idea. Whose brain-child was this?

I seem to remember some grumblings over the county supervisors a while back, but is that still a valid complaint? After all, there are new faces on the board. Are "we" still not represented fairly in the north part of the county? Does it mean that "we" are still not getting our way?

I think that I'd probably be all for the split if I was one of those developers or construction companies who will make out like fat rats at the landfill when the need for new county buildings arise. However, being a lowly taxpayer, I'm simply not looking forward to more taxes to make up for the astronomical debt we'd start out with.

Are the county split proponents aware of who is using most of the county services that are paid with funds that are generated chiefly by the south county? I’ll tell them. Santa Maria is!

Santa Maria Home Sales Booming

Are they paying attention to who is buying all the houses around here? A news story in the Santa Barbara News Press in June of 2004 told us that "nearly 1,000 homes had been built in the past year in Santa Maria, and another 2,400 are under review--more new housing than anywhere else in the county."

The article continues, "but they are primarily market-rate homes selling for at least $400,000; and middle-class couples of all ethnicities who work in Santa Barbara or San Luis Obispo are snapping them up." And, "according to the city, fully two-thirds of the local work force earns less than $18,000 per year."

Let's look at the industries in this valley. The major employers in the Santa Maria area include agriculture and Vandenberg Air Force Base. Given this data, I doubt that the two-thirds mentioned above are buying any of those houses. There was a story not too long ago about the high number of people that live here and work in the Santa Barbara area, I cannot remember the exact percentage, but it was ugly.

The Future of Santa Maria

This all reminds me of what one of our appointed city council members said, "We don't want Santa Maria to become a bedroom community." OK, let me get my "Duh" stick. Hello! This had been happening for years before this profound statement and is obviously still happening. I'm not sure acute awareness is a prerequisite to be elected to the city council.

Oh wait! This council member was appointed!

(part two from Renee appears here on Sunday.)